Michigan State Football: Top 50 players of all time
14. Gene Washington
Gene Washington made being a receiver look cool before the passing game really took off in college football. The three-year receiver for Michigan State is considered one of the greatest in Spartan history because of his deadly combination of size and speed. Rarely were there 6-foot-3, 208-pound receivers back in the 1960s, but Washington was just that.
Playing from 1964-66, he helped the Spartans win two national titles in his final two years with the program. Those teams, as you can tell by this list, were absolutely loaded with talent, and it’s obvious that there deserves to be a separate list ranking the top players, who also happened to be All-Americans, on those teams.
Washington is one of just seven Michigan State football players in the College Football Hall of Fame and is the only pre-1975 wide out on the all-time receiving leaders list, sitting at No. 14 with 1,857 yards and is seventh in touchdown catches with 16.
The wide out really made a name for himself in the “Game of the Century” against Notre Dame in 1966 that ended in the infamous 10-10 tie. He caught nine passes for 123 yards in an otherwise dull offensive contest filled with huge defensive plays — including a Bubba Smith tackle of Notre Dame’s QB, separating his shoulder.
Eventually, Washington was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft and was named to two Pro Bowls over his nine-year career.
Next: 13. Percy Snow